Colorado: Anti-Gun Bills Continue to Progress Through the Legislature

[Charlie T Waite]

This week, anti-gun legislators continued to push gun control measures through the legislative process, despite thousands of calls and emails from NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters in opposition.  These measures only have a handful of steps before they go to the Governor, so it is very important that you continue to contact your lawmakers in opposition to Senate Bill 256, House Bill 1298 and House Bill 1299.

House Bill 1298 allows for the indefinite delay of firearm transfers. Current state law allows licensed firearm dealers to proceed with firearm transfers if the Colorado Bureau of Investigation does not make a determination within three days for what is supposed to be an instant background check done by computers. It is also what federal law considers appropriate for firearm dealers in other states that use the federal NICS background check system. Without this “safety valve,” mismanagement or deliberate meddling by bureaucrats with the background check system can result in access to Second Amendment rights being unjustly delayed or denied.  

In addition, HB 1298 goes beyond federal law, by expanding the criteria by which individuals lose their Second Amendment rights without due process.

House Bill 1299 uses taxpayer dollars to create a so-called “Office of Gun Violence Prevention” to generate propaganda promoting the erosion of Second Amendment rights. While NRA does not oppose objective research into the root causes of violence, and violence prevention is a laudable goal, biased “research” focusing solely on firearms is often used to generate propaganda pushing for more gun control. This office is also to publicize the procedures for obtaining “red flag” orders to take away Second Amendment rights without due process, and is apparently not to make recommendations holding criminals accountable for their actions, as their efforts must be “without contributing to mass incarceration.”

Senate Bill 256 repeals Colorado’s preemption law that prevents localities from passing their own gun control. This law has ensured that all law-abiding Coloradoans have the same rights regardless of where they reside, and has also ensured that adults licensed to carry a handgun for self-defense are not prevented from doing so just because they seek a higher education. Without it, there will be a confusing patchwork of laws that are difficult to know and obey, and an expansion of arbitrary boundaries where law-abiding citizens are left defenseless.

Again, please contact your Lawmakers and ask them to OPPOSE Senate Bill 256, House Bill 1298 and House Bill 1299.